Frodo's Barrow Dilemma

[Inziladun]

(Frodo) wondered if he put on the Ring, whether the Barrow-wight would miss him, and he might find some way out.

FOTR Fog On the Barrow-Downs

Here are some novel questions: Would the wight have seen him? Do they inhabit the same shadow-world as the Nazgûl? Would this plan of Frodo's have been viable (though cowardly)?

[Tuor in Gondolin]

Mostly offtopic but, if he put it on and the Wight saw
and killed him and the hobbits, then what? How
about: Strider soon gets antsy at Bree and probes
around, talks to Bombadil and they find the ring.
Strider goes to the chatfest at Rivendell and...Bilbo
takes the ring! (remember Gollum lived for centuries
and moved around when in possession of the ring).
Alternately, Sam (and perhaps Merry and
Pippin) survive to accompany Bilbo.

[Hakon]

I think the Barrow Wight would have seen him. Since Tom Bombadil is a foreign entity to Middle Earth, then I think that no matters what realm one inhabits in that piece of land they can be seen. I remember there was a letter where Tolkien talked about the overlapping planes of existence. I think someone posted part of the letter in some thread.

[Eönwë]

Originally Posted by Hakon

I think the Barrow Wight would have seen him. Since Tom Bombadil is a foreign entity to Middle Earth, then I think that no matters what realm one inhabits in that piece of land they can be seen.

But then how come only Tom could see him when he put on the ring? The others couldn't. Tom, however can see everything in his land.

However, with the Wights being spirits, it doesn't matter, as they would probably see Frodo better if he put the ring on.

[Hakon]

Eönwë, you are right about that. I want to add something more to this post but I got nothing.

[Gordis]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

FOTR Fog On the Barrow-Downs

Here are some novel questions: Would the wight have seen him? Do they inhabit the same shadow-world as the Nazgûl? Would this plan of Frodo's have been viable (though cowardly)?

The wights were spirits from Angmar and Rhudaur sent by the Witch-King to inhabit the barrows (see App.A). As spirits they belonged to the Spirit world, to the World of the Unseen, so a person wearing the Ring would be fully visible to them. It was a very BAD plan.

Originally Posted by Tuor in Gondolin

Mostly offtopic but, if he put it on and the Wight saw
and killed him and the hobbits, then what?

Then there is the question who gets to this Barrow first: Tom or the Witch-King. Both are nearby and one of them would almost certainly come before Aragorn.

If Tom gets the Ring, he would likely willingly surrender it to Aragorn. And the latter would have to carry the Ring to Rivendell on his own: a severe trial for him... almost impossible not to succomb to the Ring's lure.

Because with Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin dead, where would Aragorn get more hobbits? Maybe he could persuade Bob or Nob to take over?

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Gordis

The wights were spirits from Angmar and Rhudaur sent by the Witch-King to inhabit the barrows (see App.A). As spirits they belonged to the Spirit world, to the World of the Unseen, so a person wearing the Ring would be fully visible to them. It was a very BAD plan.

The wights appear to have some notable differences from the Ringwraiths, and there seems to be evidence against wights being able to see one wearing the Ring.

Trembling (Frodo) looked up, in time to see a tall dark figure like a shadow against the stars. It leaned over him. He thought there were two eyes, very cold though lit with a pale light that seemed to come from some remote distance. Then a grip stronger and colder than iron seized him.

FOTR Fog On the Barrow-Downs

Frodo, without wearing the Ring, was able to see the Wight. Compare this to the Ringwraiths, that are completely invisible to mortals unless they wear clothing to give shape to themselves.
If Frodo could see the Wight without the Ring, and it could plainly see him, I am inclined to think it could not have seen him while he wore it.

[Eönwë]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

Frodo, without wearing the Ring, was able to see the Wight. Compare this to the Ringwraiths, that are completely invisible to mortals unless they wear clothing to give shape to themselves.
If Frodo could see the Wight without the Ring, and it could plainly see him, I am inclined to think it could not have seen him while he wore it.

But Frodo could see the bones, not the spirit itself. I think the spirit, not the physical body (or rather, bones) could see him with the ring, as spirits are on the Other Side.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Eönwë

But Frodo could see the bones, not the spirit itself. I think the spirit, not the physical body (or rather, bones) could see him with the ring, as spirits are on the Other Side.

Would a mere skeleton be described as a 'tall dark figure like a shadow'? Wouldn't you think Frodo would have described bare bones, if that's what he'd seen?

It seems the 'What are Barrow-wights?' question once again rears its ugly head.
The wights must have had a corporeal form.

Round the corner a long arm was groping, walking on its fingers towards Sam, who was lying nearest....

FOTR Fog On the Barrow-Downs

That arm was not described as 'skeletal' either.
I've heard arguments that what Frodo saw in the barrow were the animated remains of who was buried there, and the same spell that preserved the weapons and treasure it contained also kept the remains from corruption. It is unlikely the arm was merely dead flesh, however.

Some say that the mound in which the Ring-bearer was imprisoned had been the grave of the last prince of Cardolan, who fell in the war of 1409.

ROTK App A

In the days of Argeleb II....an end came of the Dúnedain of Cardolan, and evil spirits out of Angmar and Rhudaur entered into the deserted mound and welt there.

ROTK App A

Argeleb II's reign presumably began upon the death of his father, Araphor in 1589, and Argeleb died in 1670. Therefore, those remains had to have been in the barrow at least 180 years, plenty of time for advanced decomposition before the Wight arrived, so the arm Frodo saw could not have been part of the corpse.

[Findegil]

Don't forgett that we talk about a Númenorean Prince. The Númenoreans had developt the art of precerving the flash for long times in Númenore and the Exiles brought that art to Middle-Earth.

Respectfully
Findegil